The Books
I am an accidental fan of Jack Reacher: one day years ago I went to the library to find some light reading and decided that a Lincoln Child horror potboiler would fit the bill; when I got home I realized that I had grabbed a book by Lee Child instead. I’d never heard of the guy. I read the blurb (some former military cop/drifter solves problems) and figured I’d give it a try (no I don’t remember which book, sorry, but an early one). By the time I was done, I was absolutely hooked. I proceeded to devour all the books I could find and all the ones subsequently released (it was a lot easier back then to find used paperbacks in second-hand shops. Now it is almost impossible).
I did like the premise, and Jack Reacher the character is compelling, but what really grabbed me was the quality of the writing. This is something that the blurbs and summaries do not adequately convey -- not only is Reacher a powerful character, but Lee Child is also an exceptional writer. Perhaps not quite Raymond Chandler level, but a far sight better than Lincoln Child or Dan Brown. There are only two multi-volume book series that I have sought to own in their entirety: the historical Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian, and the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, and for very similar reasons. Exceptional writing leads to contented re-reading.
